


For What Reason

by RobinPlaysTrumpet15



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, animagi, help remus lupin at all costs, james sirius and peter are good friends, professor mcgonagall worries about her students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 20:44:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9675662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15
Summary: James, Sirius, and Peter are trying to become animagi to help Remus during the full moons. Professor McGonagall finds out about their plans and can't stay silent, can she?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This short little thing is based off of a short story/head cannon that I read on Pinterest the other day. I hope you like it!

Minerva McGonagall couldn’t believe it. Really, just truly could not believe it. Of all the stupid, dangerous, hard-headed, dim-witted things students had ever done at this god forsaken school, this one took the cake. At first, she thought the three boys had been playing yet another prank on the entire school, but after two weeks, she wasn’t so sure anymore. The woman began to pay closer attention to Black, Potter, and Pettigrew. She watched what they said, what they did, where they went, who they talked to, what they checked out of the library, and which of Slughorn’s private potion ingredients went missing.

It took her incredibly too long to figure out what their plan was.

It dawned on her in the middle of grading Frank Longbottom’s homework exactly what those three Gryffindors were up to.

“They’re trying to become animagi…” McGonagall whispered to herself.

She went from utterly shocked to horrified to furious to confused and then back to furious in a matter of seconds. It left her feeling rather worn out and unsure exactly what to do with herself.

How dare they?! How dare they attempt something so stupidly dangerous?! They had to know the risks! They had to understand just how much dumb luck was needed to successfully transform themselves into animagi! Hadn’t they? She had mentioned it before in class, brought it up when the students began to ask about her own transformations. But this was different! It required skills and knowledge way above the ordinary wizarding levels! Skills that no third year student should ever really be able to master, especially not on their own with no formal help or guidance. It was hard enough for herself under the instruction of Dumbledore, but what these three were trying to accomplish could quite possibly get them killed if they weren’t careful.

(Not to mention all of this was extremely illegal...)

Suddenly she found herself confused again. James, Sirius, and Peter would never try and do something this dangerous and stupid without a reason. And come to think of it, Lupin should have been stopping them. Remus was usually the common sense of the group. Remus was bright, and would know what the other three were up to, so why hadn’t he stopped them?

The clock on the fireplace mantel chimed 1:00 p.m. McGonagall rose from her desk, sighing a little and lamenting the fact she hadn’t finished grading papers. She’d have to tell the class to wait until their next period together to get their homework back.

Minerva grabbed her notes for the third year transfiguration class and swept out of her office and into the classroom just as students came trickling in, one by one. They were slower today, and she tried to think of a reason aside from lunch having just ended. Internally, she gave another sigh, seating herself in the front of the room and waiting for her class to arrive.

It was only a matter of time before she heard a few rowdy voices come bustling into the room. Peter Pettigrew ran in first, face flushed and out of breath. He looked back through the door for a split second before setting his eyes on McGonagall’s gaze.

“I’m here,” he offered, a semi frightened look gracing his slightly pudgy features before he hastily took his seat near the back of the room.

Sirius Black came rushing in next, exclaiming loudly, “I’m queer!” before James was nearly running into him. “I’m a dear!”

The two hurried off to their own seats, James next to Peter and Sirius at a desk by himself that he usually shared with Remus. As they sat, Lupin came in next, walking slowly and sending a look at his friends that could only be described as what a long suffering sigh would look like.

“I’m…” Remus said, turning his head slowly to meet McGonagall’s eyes. “Sorry.”

She tried very hard not to laugh. She couldn’t encourage them after all.

“Black, Potter, Pettigrew, Lupin. I want you in my office at the end of this class.” With that, Minerva stood and began class, noting how the four (or really, three) were more restless than usual. Sure, they were generally restless, and it distracted her enough on a regular day, but this was getting out of hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched James lean forward in his chair, straight over his desk, and butt his head into Sirius’ back. That behavior especially was really new, and most definitely odd. A few seconds later and Sirius was leaning over and licking the side of Remus’ face. The resulting crash of books landing on the floor, and what sounded like Black’s foot being stomped on rather harshly, drew the attention of the entire classroom. She turned from the blackboard she had been writing on to fix an incredulous eye on the four boys.

“Potter, Black, Lupin. Is there a problem?”

“No ma’am,” was Sirius’ tight reply. He was hunched over his desk, hands reaching below it for his foot.

“Please, try not to interrupt my class. I will not ask again.”

When the four nodded at her and sat still, she turned back to the lesson. Most of the rest of the class flew by without interruption. She counted it as a small blessing.

Later, when the bell rang for class to end, McGonagall stood at the front of the room silently, waiting for the four Gryffindor boys to join her. When they did, she motioned her head towards the open door of her office. They walked in line through the doorway and stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the desk as she closed the door behind her and took a seat.

“I want to know, what would possess you three to do something so incredibly stupid as-”

As she talked, she looked each of them in the eye in turn, searching for whether they knew what they were in trouble for or not. Peter, James, and Sirius seemed none the wiser, an air of jumpiness and excitement surrounding them. Remus was the one who stopped her in her tracks. Her words tapered off as she searched his eyes.

Something was off about him, and not in a bad way. There was a life to his actions that wasn’t there normally. Despite the fact she knew it was a full moon tonight, he didn’t seem run down or drained. The look of pure, resigned hatred was gone from its usual place in his pale, forest green eyes. Though he didn’t smile, and his eyebrows were knitted, knowing they were in trouble for something or other, Remus looked… happier. Something had changed his view of the world or given him more of a drive to push forward.

It was uplifting. She wanted to smile and cry at the sight of him. He looked more like a thirteen year old boy should, more carefree and open and just… free in a way she knew he hadn’t been in a long, long time.

It was this look that stopped her. Minerva forced her gaze away from Remus’ eyes and surveyed the other three again.

Was it possible that they could help him? Could they provide something that no one else could to the boy they cared for like a brother? Could Remus thrive with their help?

What was she thinking?! This was still dangerous! She had guessed that their plan was to go with him on full moons, and that was absolutely unacceptable. They could get hurt, or killed, or bitten…

There was no good solution, she supposed. If she said nothing, they would continue on doing as they are, trying to figure it all out. If she tried to stop them, they would continue on doing as they are and trying to figure it all out without tipping her off any more than they already have…

“Yes, professor?” James prompted.

Minerva swallowed hard. “Nothing, never mind. Off you go.”

She stood and turned to the window, not looking as the four boys stared at her strangely before leaving the room slowly.

She couldn’t stop them, that was for sure. She knew that. But she could maybe help them without their knowledge.

So, if potions ingredients magically showed up in their trunks or night stand drawers, or if they could suddenly find books on the process of becoming animagi in the library that they knew hadn’t been there before, then that was fine. She was just helping a little bit, and she wasn’t really doing any harm. And if she was around secretly for the more complicated spells and potions, ready to jump in at a moment’s notice to help, then so be it. It was better than standing by and doing nothing at all. It was better to see the difference, the change in Remus Lupin.

Because if she could help that little eleven year old boy, who was smaller than his classmates, quieter than his new friends, and sickly almost all the time, then she was going to take that chance. There was only so much that she could do as a teacher and as Professor McGonagall, but there was a world of difference that three young boys by the names of James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew could do for one Remus Lupin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, feel free to point out any grammar mistakes you find so that I may go back in and edit them out. Please let me know what you think with a comment and/or kudos. I hope you liked it! :D


End file.
